Electronic equipment

ABSTRACT

Electronic equipment comprises a main body, a front panel and a recording medium receiving unit. The front panel is provided movably between an opened position and a closed position on a front side of the main body. A card-type recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded into or from the recording medium receiving unit. The recording medium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position. The recording medium receiving unit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed and accessible when the front panel moves from the closed position to the opened position.

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/083,648 filed Feb. 27, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No.6,678,165 which is hereby incorporated by reference. The presentapplication also claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2001-86006 filed in Japan on Mar. 23, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates electronic equipment, and moreparticularly to electronic equipment having on its front side anopenable and closable front panel.

2. Description of the Related Art

Installation of electronic equipment such as an audio device and anavigation device on a vehicle has widely been put into practice.

On the other hand, use of a card-type recording medium having a smallsize, called a “memory card” has also recently been generalized.

It has recently become possible to store information, which is to beused in the above-mentioned electronic equipment, in the card-typerecording medium, so as to provide information sharing between theelectronic equipment and a domestic or personal computer, as well asbetween a plurality of electronic equipment.

With respect to installation of the above-mentioned card-type recordingmedium on electronic equipment, a casing of the electronic equipment,which has a stationary front panel 101 as shown in FIG. 9, is embeddedinto a dashboard of a vehicle. As a result, it is necessary to form aslot-shaped insertion opening 106 into or from which the card-typerecording medium is to be loaded or unloaded, on any place of the frontpanel 101.

It is however necessary to provide parts such as an operating dial 102,operating mode buttons 105, an operation displaying unit 104 andselection buttons 103 a and 103 b, by which the electronic equipment iscaused to function, on the above-mentioned front panel 101. Accordingly,the above-mentioned insertion opening 106 must be formed on a placeother than the above-mentioned parts such as the operating dial 102.Formation of the insertion opening 106 is however restricted by designwhich is made when determining arrangement of the parts such as theoperating dial 102 on the front panel 101, thus causing problems.

The insertion opening 106 is exposed on the front panel 101, resultingin an increased possibility that the card-type recording medium loadedinto the insertion opening 106 may be stolen, thus also causingproblems.

There has also been known electronic equipment, which is to be mountedon a vehicle and has an openable or closable front panel. FIG. 10( a) isa partial side view of typical electronic equipment 200 in which a frontpanel 201 is opened by swinging the front panel 201 around a pivot shaft206 provided on the lower side of the front panel 201, while movingforward a supporting member 202 to which the pivot shaft 206 isconnected. FIG. 10( b) is a partial side view of the other typicalelectronic equipment 200 in which a front panel 201 is opened byswinging the front panel 201 around a pivot shaft 206.

In either case, there is adopted a structure that an insertion opening205 for the card-type recording medium MC is formed on an inner wall204, which is exposed from the front end opening of the casing of theelectronic equipment when the front panel 201 is kept in the openedposition (i.e., a state as shown in the lower portions of FIGS. 10( a)and 10(b)), and a connector 203 into which the card-type recordingmedium MC is to be inserted is further provided in a place correspondingto the insertion opening 205.

However, the card-type recording medium MC, which has an extremely smallsize, is connected to the connector 203 so as to project from theabove-mentioned inner wall 204 by a small length. As a result, it is noteasy to pull out the card-type recording medium MC from the insertionopening 205, thus causing a problem, even when the front panel 201 isopened as shown in the lower portions of FIGS. 10( a) and 10(b).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention, which was made to solve theabove-mentioned problems, is therefore to provide electronic equipment,which permits to perform easy loading and unloading of a card-typerecording medium, reduce the possibility of theft of the card-typerecording medium and relieve restriction in design of the front panel.

In order to attain the aforementioned object, the electronic equipmentof the first aspect of the present invention comprises a main body; afront panel provided movably between an opened position and a closedposition on a front side of the main body; and a recording mediumreceiving unit into or from which a card-type recording medium is to beloaded or unloaded, wherein the recording medium receiving unit isconcealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in theclosed position; and the recording medium receiving unit is displacedalong with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed andaccessible in case where the front panel is in the opened position.

According to such features of the first aspect of the present invention,the recording medium receiving unit is displaced so as to be exposed andaccessible when the front panel moves from the closed position to theopened position. It is therefore possible to provide technical effectsof achieving the easy loading and unloading of the card-type recordingmedium, and reducing the possibility of theft of such a medium. It isnot necessary to form any insertion hole for the card-type recordingmedium on the front panel, thus relieving restriction in design of thefront panel.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the electronic equipmentaccording to the above-described first aspect of the present inventionmay further comprises an opening and closing mechanism for moving thefront panel from the closed position to the opened position so that afront surface thereof faces generally upward, while pushing forward alower portion of the front panel and lowering an upper portion thereof,and for returning the front panel from the opened position to the closedposition. According to such a feature of the second aspect of thepresent invention, the front panel is kept in the opened positionwithout exposing the rear surface of the front panel. As a result, nospecial care of the rear surface of the front panel is needed.

In the third aspect of the present invention, there may be adopted, inthe above-described second aspect of the present invention, a structurein which the recording medium receiving unit is slidable relative to thecasing; and there is provided a sliding mechanism for sliding therecording medium receiving unit between a retracted and inaccessibleposition and an extended and accessible position, in a same direction asa moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel insynchronization with movement thereof. According to such features of thethird aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receivingunit slides to be exposed and accessible when the front panel is movedfrom the closed position to the opened position. It is thereforepossible to carry out more easily a loading or unloading operation ofthe card-type recording medium.

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, the electric equipmentaccording to the third aspect of the present invention may furthercomprise a supporting member on which the recording medium receivingunit is mounted, said supporting member being movable in the samedirection as the moving direction of the lower portion of the frontpanel. According to such a feature of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, a stable and smooth slide of the recording medium receivingunit can be ensured.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described second aspect of the presentinvention may have a slot and be stationarily secured to the front panelso that the slot is exposed outside from a bottom surface of the frontpanel when the front panel is kept in the opened position. According tosuch a feature of the fifth aspect of the present invention, therecording medium receiving unit moves together with the front panel,thus permitting to making the structure of the electric equipmentsimpler.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described fifth aspect of the presentinvention may be placed in an inside of the front panel. According tosuch a feature of the sixth aspect of the present invention, there canbe enhanced the appearance of the slot and its surrounding area of therecording medium receiving unit, when the front panel is kept in theopened position so that the slot thereof is exposed and accessible.

In the seventh aspect of the present invention, there may be adopted, inthe above-described first aspect of the present invention, a structurein which the front panel is movable to swing between the closed positionand the opened position in which a rear surface of the front panel facesgenerally upward, around a pivot shaft provided on a lower side of thefront panel; and the recording medium receiving unit having a slot isstationarily secured to the front panel so that the slot is exposedoutside from a bottom surface of the front panel when the front panel iskept in the opened position. According to such features of the seventhaspect of the present invention, it is possible to make the structure ofthe electric equipment simpler.

In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described seventh aspect of the presentinvention may be mounted on the rear surface of the front panel.According to such a feature of the eighth aspect of the presentinvention, the further simpler structure of the electric equipment canbe ensured.

In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described eighth aspect of the presentinvention may be swingable relative to the front panel. According tosuch a feature of the ninth aspect of the present invention, it ispossible to effectively utilize the area of the front panel, permittinguse of the recording medium receiving unit having a relatively largesize without enlarging the front panel.

In the tenth aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described ninth aspect of the presentinvention may be swingable on a plane parallel to the rear surface ofthe front panel.

In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the recording mediumreceiving unit in the above-described ninth aspect of the presentinvention may be swingable on a plane perpendicular to the rear surfaceof the front panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1( a) is a front view of electronic equipment of the firstembodiment of the present invention, illustrating a front panel, whichis kept in the closed position and FIG. 1( b) is also a front viewthereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition;

FIG. 2( a) is a view illustrating an entire internal structure of theelectronic equipment of the first embodiment of the present inventionand FIG. 2( b) is a view illustrating a detailed structure of arecording medium receiving unit of the electronic equipment as shown inFIG. 2( a);

FIG. 3( a) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment of the firstembodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, whichis kept in the closed position and FIG. 3( b) is also a sectional viewthereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition;

FIG. 4( a) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment of the secondembodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, whichis kept in the closed position and FIG. 4( b) is also a sectional viewthereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition;

FIG. 5( a) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of thethird embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel,which is kept in the opened position, FIG. 5( b) is a front view of theelectronic equipment as shown in FIG. 5( a) and FIG. 5( c) is asectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG. 5( a);

FIG. 6( a) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of thefourth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the frontpanel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG. 6( b) is a front viewof the electronic equipment as shown in FIG. 6( a) and FIG. 6( c) is asectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG. 6( a);

FIG. 7( a) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of thefifth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel,which is kept in the opened position, FIG. 7(b) is a front view of theelectronic equipment as shown in FIG. 7( a) and FIG. 7( c) is asectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG. 7( a);

FIG. 8( a) is a perspective view illustrating the recording mediumreceiving unit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8(b) is a rear view illustrating the recording medium receiving unit asshown in FIG. 8( a) and FIG. 8( c) is an enlarged view illustrating alocking mechanism for the recording medium receiving unit as shown inFIG. 8( a);

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the conventional electronicequipment; and

FIG. 10( a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening operationof the front panel of another conventional electronic equipment and FIG.10( b) is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening operation ofthe front panel of further another conventional electronic equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, embodiments of electronic equipment of the present invention willbe described in detail below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In all the embodiments of the present invention describedbelow, the present invention is applied to the electronic equipmentserving as an audio device to be mounted on a vehicle.

I. First Embodiment

Now, the first embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1( a) to 3(b). FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b) illustratethe electronic equipment of the first embodiment of the presentinvention with the front panel kept in the closed and opened positions,respectively, FIGS. 2( a) and 2(b) illustrate the internal structure ofthe electronic equipment thereof and FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) illustrate anopening operation of the front panel of the electronic equipmentthereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b), the electronic equipment 1A of thefirst embodiment of the present invention includes a main body MB, afront panel 3 and a recording medium receiving unit 11. The main body MBhas a casing C and a reproducing unit (not shown) received in the casingC. The casing C has on its front side a flange CC, which defines anopening. The flange CC is provided on its rear surface with a frame Finto which the front end portion of the reproducing unit is inserted, asshown in FIG. 2( a), which is a plan view illustrating the electronicequipment 1A having the front panel 3A kept in the closed position, andin which the casing C is removed. The casing C is provided with an innerwall 1 a in the vicinity of the opening. The inner wall la has a slot 2through which a recording medium such as an optical disc can be loadedor unloaded into or from the reproducing unit, respectively.

The front panel 3A is movable between an opened position as shown inFIG. 1( b) and a closed position as shown in FIG. 1( a) so as to openand close the opening of the casing C. An opening and closing operationof the front panel 3A will be described later.

The front panel 3A is provided with a display unit 12 for displaying anoperation mode of the electronic equipment 1A, operating members 4 and 5for setting an appropriate mode of the electronic equipment 1A andoperating buttons 6 a to 6 j. The front panel 3A has its lower oppositesides a pair of pivot shafts 7, 7. In addition, the front panel 3A has abottom front-side surface 3 a and a bottom rear-side surface 3 c. Thebottom front-side surface 3 a and the bottom rear-side surface 3 c areconcealed in case where the front panel 3A is kept in the closedposition as shown in FIG. 1( a), on the one hand, and are exposed incase where the front panel 3A is kept in the opened position as shown inFIG. 1( b). The bottom rear-side surface 3 c has in its central portiona recess 3 b, through which an insertion hole 35 of the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 described later can be exposed. The front panel 3A isalso provided with an eject button 10, which is slidably exposed fromthe above-mentioned rear-side surface 3 c.

The front panel 3A is movable between the opened position as shown inFIG. 1( b) and the closed position as shown in FIG. 1( a) as describedabove. When the front panel 3A is kept in the closed position, the frontsurface thereof stands perpendicularly to the driving direction of avehicle so as to operate the operating members 4 and 5 and the otherbuttons 6 a to 6 j.

More specifically, the electronic equipment 1A includes an opening andclosing mechanism for moving the front panel 3A between the openedposition and the closed position. The opening and closing mechanism iscomposed of a supporting member 9, a slidable arm 9 a having a rackportion 21 a, a gear train including gears 21 b, 21 c, a driving motor(not shown) and a swing arm 25.

The supporting member 9, which is formed of a rectangular plate, isplaced on the bottom surface of the casing C so as to be slidable backand forth relative to the opening of the casing C. The supporting member9 has opposite front end portions to which the above-mentioned pivotshafts 7, 7 are pivotably connected, respectively.

The slidable arm 9 a has an elongated guide slot 9 b in its longitudinaldirection and the rack portion 21 a at its rear ends. The slidable arm 9a is secured on the one side of the supporting member 9. The casing Chas a supporting pin 28 projecting inwardly so that the supporting pin28 is inserted into the elongated guide slot 9 b of the slidable arm 9a. The same supporting mechanism or any other mechanism for slidablysupporting the supporting member 9 may be provided on the other side ofthe supporting member 9. As a result, the slidable arm 9 a slidestogether with the supporting member 9 relative to the casing C.

The gears 21 b, 21 c are rotatably supported on one of base frames 20,20 of the casing C. The gear 21 c engages not only with the rack portion21 a of the slidable arm 9 a, but also with the other gear 21 b. Thedriving motor (not shown) is mounted on the above-mentioned base frame20 so that a driving gear (not shown) secured on a driving shaft of thedriving motor engages with the above-mentioned gear 21 b.

The swing arm 25 that is placed on the opposite side to the slidable arm9 a in the casing C, has one end, which is pivotably connected to thecasing C by means of a pin 26 (which is a first pivot shaft) as shown inFIGS. 3( a) and 3(b), and the other end, which is pivotably connected tothe upper portion of the front panel 3A by means of the other pin 29(which is a second pivot shaft). The same swing arm 25 may be providedon the other side.

The opening and closing mechanism having the above-described structuremoves the front panel 3A from the closed position to the opened positionso that the front surface of the front panel 3A faces generally upward,while pushing forward a lower portion of the front panel 3A toward auser of the electronic equipment 1A and lowering an upper portionthereof. As a result, the inner wall 1 a of the casing C, which isconcealed by means of the front panel that is kept in the closedposition, is exposed from the opening of the casing C by moving thefront panel 3A from the closed position to the opened position.Accordingly, when the front panel 3A is opened, it is possible to insertan optical disc into the slot 2 provided on the inner wall 1 a of thecasing C. The optical disc is loaded from the slot 2 so that thereproducing unit reproduces information such as musical informationrecorded in the optical disc.

As shown in FIG. 2( b), the recording medium receiving unit 11 includesa receiving member 30, a holding mechanism 31, a plurality of terminals32, an eject lever 10 a and a return spring 30 a. The receiving member30 has an insertion hole 35 into or from which a card-type recordingmedium MC is to be inserted or removed. The holding mechanism 31 holdsthe card-type recording medium MC inserted into the insertion hole 35 ofthe receiving member 30, or relieves the holding of the card-typerecording medium MC. The terminals 32 electrically connect the card-typerecording medium MC to the reproducing unit to output information, whichhas been recorded in the card-type recording medium MC, into thereproducing unit, on the one hand, and to input information from thereproducing unit into the card-type recording medium MC. The eject lever10 a is slidably mounted on the receiving member 30 in the horizontaldirection so that the front end of the eject lever 10 a can come intocontact with the eject button 10 provided on the front panel 3A, in casewhere the front panel 3A is kept in the opened position. The eject lever10 a slides between an operation position and an ejection position. Thereturn spring 30 a imparts a resilient force for returning the ejectlever 10 a to the operation position to the eject lever 10 a. Therecording medium receiving unit 11 having the structure described aboveis mounted on the central portion of the supporting member 9.

When the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into the receivingmember 30 in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 2( b), terminals ofthe card-type recording medium MC come into electric contact with theplurality of terminals 32 of the recording medium receiving unit 11. Asa result, there can be carried out execution of outputting information,which has been recorded in the card-type recording medium MC, into thereproducing unit, on the one hand, and of inputting information from thereproducing unit into the card-type recording medium MC.

When the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 to be kept operable, the eject lever 10 is keptin the operating position by means of the return spring 30 a so that thefront end of the eject lever 10 moves toward the rear end of the ejectbutton 10 provided on the front panel 3A. Accordingly, if the frontpanel 3A is kept in the opened position, it is possible to push theeject button 10 as exposed so as to eject the card-type recording mediumMC.

Now, description will be given below of operation of the front panel 3Awith reference to FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b). FIG. 3( a) is a cross sectionalview cut along the line III—III in FIG. 2( a), illustrating a state inwhich the front panel 3A is kept in the closed position as shown in FIG.1( a). FIG. 3( b) is a cross sectional view illustrating a state inwhich the front panel 3A is kept in the opened position as shown in FIG.1( b).

When the front panel 3A is kept in the closed position as shown in FIG.3( a), the supporting member 9 and the slidable arm 9 a are retracted inthe left-hand direction in FIG. 3( a) together with the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 in which the card-type recording medium MC isreceived. In such a state, the end of the card-type recording medium MC,which is projected from the receiving member 30 as shown in FIG. 3( a),is concealed by means of the lower portion of the front panel 3A.Accordingly, when the front panel 3A is kept in the closed position, therecording medium receiving unit 11 is inaccessible so that neitherinsertion of the card-type recording medium MC into the receiving member30 nor removal of it therefrom can be carried out.

Operation of the driving motor (not shown) causes the gears 21 b and 21c to rotate so that the slidable arm 9 a, which has the elongated slot 9b into which the supporting pin 28 of the casing C is inserted, slidesforward (i.e., in the right-hand direction in FIG. 3( b). The recordingmedium receiving unit 11 also slides forward together with supportingmember 9 and the slidable arm 9 a.

The opposite front end portions of the supporting member 9 are pivotablyconnected to the pivot shafts 7, 7 provided on the lower opposite sidesof the front panel 3A, respectively. In addition, the upper portion ofthe front panel 3A is connected to the casing C by means of the swingarm 25. Accordingly, slide of the supporting member 9 causes the lowerportion of the front panel 3A to be pushed forward toward a user of theelectronic equipment 1A and the upper portion thereof to be lowered sothat the front surface of the front panel 3A faces generally upward,with the result that the front panel 3A moves from the closed positionas shown in FIG. 3( a) to the opened position as shown in FIG. 3( b).

When the front panel 3A is kept in the opened position in this manner,the inner wall 1 a is exposed from the opening of the casing C and therecording medium receiving unit 11, which is mounted on the supportingmember 9, moves forward so that the insertion hole 35 thereof is exposedand accessible through the recess 3 b of the front panel 3A. In thelight of the mounting structure of the recording medium receiving unit11, the supporting member 9 serves as a device for sliding the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 between a retracted and inaccessible positionand an extended and accessible position in the same direction as themoving direction of the lower portion of the front panel 3A insynchronization with movement thereof utilizing the opening and closingmechanism.

As a result, the card-type recording medium MC received in the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 moves forward to a prescribed position in whichthe recording medium MC can easily be removed from the insertion hole35. In such a state, a pushing operation of the eject button 10 relievesthe hold of the card-type recording medium MC, which is caused by theholding mechanism 31, and moves forward the card-type recording mediumMC. The card-type recording medium MC can therefore be pulled out fromthe recording medium receiving unit 11.

In the above-described first embodiment of the electronic equipment ofthe present invention, the recording medium receiving unit 11 isconcealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel 3A is in theclosed position and the recording medium receiving unit 11 is displacedalong with movement of the front panel 3A so as to be exposed andaccessible when the front panel 3A moves from the closed position to theopened position. It is therefore possible to carry out an easy operationof loading and unloading the card-type recording medium MC and to reducethe possibility of theft of the card-type recording medium MC.

In addition, it is not necessary to form any insertion hole for thecard-type recording medium MC on the front surface of the front panel3A, thus relieving restriction in design of the front panel 3A.

The recording medium receiving unit 11 is mounted on the supportingmember 9, which is movable along with the movement of the front panel3A, thus ensuring a stable and smooth slide of the recording mediumreceiving unit 11.

II. Second Embodiment

Now, the second embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b). FIG. 4( a) illustrates theelectronic equipment of the second embodiment of the present inventionwith the front panel 3B kept in the closed position (corresponding tothe state as shown in FIG. 1( a)). FIG. 4( b) illustrates the electronicequipment of the second embodiment of the present invention with thefront panel 3B kept in the opened position (corresponding to the stateas shown in FIG. 1( b)).

The front panel 3B of the second embodiment is provided on its frontsurface with the same structural components as those of the front panel3A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is thereforeomitted. The front panel 3B is opened and closed by means of the sameopening and closing mechanism as in the first embodiment of the presentinvention. Detailed description of the opening and closing mechanism isalso omitted.

In the first embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit 11 for thecard-type recording medium MC is mounted on the supporting member 9,which is slidable along with the movement of the front panel 3A. In thesecond embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit 11 having theslot is stationarily secured in the inside of the front panel 3B so thatthe slot is placed on the bottom rear-side surface of the front panel3B. The recording medium receiving unit 11 includes the same componentssuch as a receiving member 30, a holding mechanism 31, a plurality ofterminals 32, an eject lever 10 a and a return spring 30 a. The ejectbutton 10 is also provided on the bottom rear-side surface of the frontpanel 3B in the same manner as the first embodiment. The front end ofthe eject lever 10 a substantially comes into contact with the ejectbutton 10.

In the second embodiment, the bottom rear-side surface of the frontpanel 3B is concealed in case where the front panel 3B is kept in theclosed position, on the one hand, and is exposed in case where it iskept in the opened position, on the other hand. As a result, the slot ofthe recording medium receiving unit 11 is concealed and inaccessible incase where the front panel is in the closed position. The recordingmedium receiving unit 11 is moved or displaced along with the movementof the front panel 3B so that the slot of the recording medium receivingunit 11 is exposed and accessible when the front panel 3B moves from theclosed position to the opened position. In such an opened position, thecard-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 or unloaded therefrom.

In the above-described second embodiment of the electronic equipment ofthe present invention, the recording medium receiving unit 11 isstationarily secured in the inside of the front panel 3B so that theslot is exposed outside from the bottom surface of the front panel 3Bwhen the front panel 3B is kept in the opened position. The recordingmedium receiving unit 11 moves together with the front panel 3B, thuspermitting to making the structure of the electric equipment simpler. Inaddition, there can be enhanced the appearance of the slot and itssurrounding area of the recording medium receiving unit 11, when thefront panel 3B is kept in the opened position so that the slot thereofis exposed and accessible.

III. Third Embodiment

Now, the third embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 5( a) to 5(c). FIG. 5( a) is a partial plan viewof the electronic equipment of the third embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition, FIG. 5( b) is a front view of the electronic equipment asshown in FIG. 5( a) and FIG. 5( c) is a sectional view of the electronicequipment as shown in FIG. 5( a).

The front panel 3C of the third embodiment is provided on its frontsurface with the same structural components as those of the front panel3A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is thereforeomitted.

The opening and closing mechanism in the first and second embodimentsdescribed above moves the front panel 3A or 3B from the closed positionto the opened position so that the front surface of the front panel 3Aor 3B faces generally upward, while pushing forward the lower portion ofthe front panel 3A or 3B toward a user of the electronic equipment 1A or1B lowering the upper portion thereof. In the third embodiment, thefront panel 3C is movable to swing between the closed position and theopened position in which a rear surface of the front panel 3C facesgenerally upward, around a pivot shaft 3 a provided on a lower side ofthe front panel 3C as shown in FIG. 5( c).

When the front panel 3C is kept in the opened position, the slot 2provided on the inner wall 1 a of the casing C is exposed. It istherefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot 2.

The recording medium receiving unit 11 includes the same components asthe receiving member 30, the holding mechanism 31, the plurality ofterminals 32, the eject lever 10 a and the return spring 30 a of therecording medium receiving unit 11 of the first embodiment. Therecording medium receiving unit 11 is stationarily mounted on the rearsurface of the front panel 3C. As shown in FIG. 5( a), a direction alongwhich the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is identicalto the longitudinal direction of the front panel 3C. However, thepresent invention is not limited only to such a mounting position of therecording medium receiving unit 11 relative to the front panel 3C. Ifthe length of the recording medium receiving unit 11 in the insertiondirection of the card-type recording medium MC is smaller than thelateral length of the rear surface of the front panel 3C, the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 may be mounted on the rear surface of the frontpanel 3C so that the direction along which the card-type recordingmedium MC is to be inserted is perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection of the front panel 3C.

The recording medium receiving unit 11 is moved or displaced along withthe movement of the front panel 3C so that the slot of the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 is exposed and accessible when the front panel3C moves from the closed position to the opened position. In such anopened position, the card-type recording medium MC can be loaded intothe recording medium receiving unit 11 or unloaded therefrom.

In the third embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit 11 isstationarily mounted on the rear surface of the front panel 3C. Thefurther simpler structure of the electric equipment can therefore beensured.

IV. Fourth Embodiment

Now, the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 6( a) to 6(c). FIG. 6( a) is a partial plan viewof the electronic equipment of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition, FIG. 6( b) is a front view of the electronic equipment asshown in FIG. 6( a) and FIG. 6( c) is a sectional view of the electronicequipment as shown in FIG. 6( a).

The front panel 3D of the fourth embodiment is provided on its frontsurface with the same structural components as those of the front panel3A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is thereforeomitted.

In the fourth embodiment, the front panel 3D is movable to swing betweenthe closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface ofthe front panel 3D faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft 3 aprovided on a lower side of the front panel 3D as shown in FIG. 6( c) inthe same manner as the third embodiment.

When the front panel 3D is kept in the opened position, the slot 2provided on the inner wall 1 a of the casing C is exposed. It istherefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot 2.

The recording medium receiving unit 11 includes the same components asthe receiving member 30, the holding mechanism 31, the plurality ofterminals 32, the eject lever 10 a and the return spring 30 a of therecording medium receiving unit 11 of the first embodiment. Therecording medium receiving unit 11 is mounted on the rear surface of thefront panel 3D so as to be swingable by a manual operation around apivot shaft 40 relative to the front panel on a plane parallel to therear surface of the front panel 3D. The recording medium receiving unit11 is therefore swingable between a retracted position in which adirection along which the card-type recording medium MC is to beinserted is identical to the longitudinal direction of the front panel3D, as shown in two-dot chain lines in FIG. 6( a), on the one hand, andan extended position in which the direction along which the card-typerecording medium MC is to be inserted is perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction of the front panel 3D so that the slot 41 facetoward a user of the electronic equipment, as shown in solid lines inthe same figure, on the other hand. In such an extended position, thecard-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 or unloaded therefrom. When the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 is kept in the above-mentioned extended position, theslot 41 approaches the user, thus facilitating a loading or unloadingoperation of the card-type recording medium MC.

In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, there may be provideda locking mechanism for holding the recording medium receiving unit 11in the retracted position so as to prevent the recording mediumreceiving unit 11 from inappropriately swinging when the front panel 3Dis opened or closed.

In the fourth embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit 11 isswingable on the plane parallel to the rear surface of the front panel3D. The loading or unloading operation of the card-type recording mediumMC can therefore be facilitated. In addition, it is possible toeffectively utilize the area of the front panel 3D, permitting use ofthe recording medium receiving unit 11 having a relatively large sizewithout enlarging the front panel 3D.

V. Fifth Embodiment

Now, the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 7( a) to 8(c). FIG. 7( a) is a partial plan viewof the electronic equipment of the fifth embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the openedposition, FIG. 7( b) is a front view of the electronic equipment asshown in FIG. 7( a) and FIG. 7( c) is a sectional view of the electronicequipment as shown in FIG. 7( a). FIG. 8( a) is a perspective viewillustrating the recording medium receiving unit of the fifth embodimentof the present invention, FIG. 8( b) is a rear view illustrating therecording medium receiving unit as shown in FIG. 8( a) and FIG. 8( c) isan enlarged view illustrating a locking mechanism for the recordingmedium receiving unit as shown in FIG. 8( a).

The front panel 3E of the fifth embodiment is provided on its frontsurface with the same structural components as those of the front panel3A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is thereforeomitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the front panel 3E is movable to swing betweenthe closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface ofthe front panel 3E faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft 3 aprovided on a lower side of the front panel 3E as shown in FIG. 7( c) inthe same manner as the third embodiment.

When the front panel 3E is kept in the opened position, the slotprovided on the inner wall 1 a of the casing C is exposed. It istherefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot.

The recording medium receiving unit 11, which is a card compartment 51having an insertion hole 43, is mounted in a recess formed on the rearsurface of the front panel 3D so as to be swingable around a pivot shaft42 relative to the front panel 3D on a plane perpendicular to the rearsurface of the front panel 3D. The recording medium receiving unit 11 istherefore swingable between a retracted position in which the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 is completely received in the recess of thefront panel 3E, as shown in two-dot chain lines in FIG. 7( b), on theone hand, and a projected and inclined position in which the recordingmedium receiving unit 11 generally projects from the recess of the frontpanel 3E so that the insertion hole 43 is exposed above the rear surfaceof the front panel 3E, as shown in solid lines in the same figure, onthe other hand. In such a projected position, the card-type recordingmedium MC can be loaded into the recording medium receiving unit 11 orunloaded therefrom.

Now, description will be given below of a swing mechanism for swingingthe recording medium receiving unit 11 from the retracted position andthe projected position with reference to FIGS. 8( a) to 8(c).

The swing mechanism is composed of a pair of supporting arms 52, a pairof base plates 53, a pair of extension coil springs 55, a lockingmechanism 57 and a lock releasing mechanism.

The pair of supporting arms 52, which are formed of a metallic plate,are secured on the longitudinally extending opposite sides of the cardcompartment 51, respectively, so as to be in parallel to each other. Thesupporting arm 52 has a root end 52 b, which projects from the end ofthe card compartment 51 on the opposite side to the insertion hole 43.

The pair of base plates 53 is formed of a metallic plate so as to serveas a mounting base. Each of the base plate 53 has a slot 53 a. The baseplates 53 are secured on the bottom of the recess formed on the rearsurface of the front panel 3E by means of screws, respectively, so as tobe in parallel to each other. The base plate 53 projects upward in aperpendicular direction to the rear surface of the front panel 3E.

The root ends 52 b of the supporting arms 52 and the corresponding endsof the base plates 53 are pivotably connected to each other by means ofa pair of pivot shafts 42, respectively. The pivot shafts 42 extend inparallel to the rear surface of the front panel 3E so as to be co-axialto each other. Accordingly, the card compartment 51 is swingable in bothdirections as shown in arrows in FIG. 8( b) on a plane perpendicular tothe rear surface of the front panel 3E.

Each of the extension coil springs 55, which is placed in the slot 53 aof the base plate 53, has one end 55 b that is connected to a springengaging portion 53 b formed on the base plate 53 and the other end 55 athat is connected to a spring engaging portion 52 d formed on the rootend 52 b of the supporting arm 52. Such coil springs 55 impart aresilient force to swing the card compartment 51 to the projectedposition.

The locking mechanism 57 is composed of a lock lever 58, a hook member56 and a coil spring 60. The lock lever 58, which has an L-shape asshown in FIG. 8( b), is provided at its one end with an engaging pin 58a. The lock lever 58 is pivotably mounted on the inner surface of one ofthe base plate 53 by means of a supporting pin 59 so that the supportingpin 59 and the above-mentioned engaging pin 58 a extend in parallel tothe above-mentioned pivot shafts 42. The hook member 56 is formed on thelower and portion of the supporting arm 52 on the opposite side to theroot end 52 b so as to be capable of engaging with the above-mentionedengaging pin 58 a of the lock lever 58. The coil spring 60 is mounted onthe lock lever 58 so as to impart a resilient force to turn the locklever 58 counterclockwise in FIG. 8( b) to the lock lever 58. There isalso provided a stopper (not shown) to limit the swing range of the locklever 58 in the counterclockwise direction mentioned above.

The lock releasing mechanism is composed of a release button 61 and alink mechanism for mechanically connecting the release button 61 to thelock lever 58. The pushing operation of the release button 61 causes thelock lever 58 to turn clockwise in FIG. 8( b) to release the lockingcondition.

Now, description of operation of the swing mechanism as described abovewill be given below. When the card-type recording medium MC is loaded,the release button 61 is pushed to swing the card compartment 51 to theprojected position under the function of the extension coil springs 55.In such a state, the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into theinsertion hole 43 of the card compartment 51 by a manual operation.

Then, when the card compartment 51 is pushed down against the extensioncoil springs 55 by a manual operation so that it reach the prescribedposition, the hook member 56 of the supporting arm 52 comes into contactwith the engaging pin 58 a of the lock lever 58 to turn the lock lever58 clockwise in the FIG. 8( b) against the coil spring 60. Continuedpushing operation causes the lock lever 58 to turn counterclockwiseunder the function of the coil spring 60, while engaging the engagingpin 58 a of the lock lever 58 with the hook member 56 of the supportingarm 52. Consequently, the card compartment 51 is locked in the retractedposition and the loading operation of the card-type recording medium MCis completed in this manner.

When the card-type recording medium MC is unloaded, the release button61 is pushed to turn the lock lever 58 clockwise in FIG. 8( b) againstthe coil spring 60 so as to swing the card compartment 51 to theprojected position under the function of the extension coil springs 55.In such a state, the card-type recording medium MC can be removed fromthe insertion hole 43 of the card compartment 51 by a manual operation.

In the fifth embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit 11 isswingable on the plane perpendicular to the rear surface of the frontpanel 3E. The loading or unloading operation of the card-type recordingmedium MC can therefore be facilitated. In addition, it is possible toeffectively utilize the area of the front panel 3E, permitting use ofthe recording medium receiving unit 11 having a relatively large sizewithout enlarging the front panel 3E.

In the above-mentioned first to fifth embodiments, the present inventionis applied to the electronic equipment serving as the audio device,which is to be mounted to reproduce musical information. The presentinvention is not limited only to the above-mentioned embodiments, butcan be applied to a case where the card-type recording medium MC is usedin a navigation system, which is provided on its front side with amovable operation panel such as the front panel as described above.

In addition, the present invention may be applied not only to theelectronic equipment to be mounted on the vehicle, but also electronicequipment such as a household audio system, which is provided on itsfront side with a movable operation panel such as the front panel asdescribed above.

According to the present invention as described in detail, the recordingmedium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where thefront panel is in the closed position and the recording medium receivingunit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to beexposed and accessible in case where the front panel is in the openedposition. It is therefore possible to perform easy loading and unloadingof a card-type recording medium, reduce the possibility of theft of thecard-type recording medium and relieve restriction in design of thefront panel.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-86006filed on Mar. 23, 2001 including the specification, claims, drawings andsummary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

1. Electronic equipment, comprising: a main body; a first recording medium receiving unit disposed in the main body for receiving a first recording medium, said first recording medium receiving unit having a slot through which the first recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded into or from the first recording medium receiving unit; a front panel movably connected to the main body between an enabling state, which causes the slot of the first recording medium receiving unit to be exposed to enable the first recording medium to be loaded or unloaded into or from the first recording medium receiving unit, and a disabling state, which causes the slot thereof to be concealed to disable the first recording medium from being loaded or unloaded thereinto or therefrom; and a second recording medium receiving unit disposed in the main body for receiving a second recording medium, the second recording medium receiving unit being movable together with said front panel between an enabling position, which enables the second recording medium to be loaded or unloaded into or from the second recording medium receiving unit, and a disabling position, which disables the second recording medium from being loaded or unloaded thereinto or therefrom, wherein the enabling state is ensured when the second recording medium receiving unit moves to the enabling position together with the front panel, and the disabling state is ensured when the second recording medium receiving unit moves to the disabling position together with the front panel.
 2. The electric equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second recording medium receiving unit has a slot through which the second recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded into or from the second recording medium receiving unit, said slot being exposed out of the main body when the second recording medium receiving unit moves to the enabling position together with the front panel.
 3. The electric equipment as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the second recording medium receiving unit is movable between a slot concealing position in which the slot is concealed and a slot exposing position in which the slot is exposed out of the main body, the second recording medium being disabled from being loaded or unloaded into or from the second recording medium receiving unit, when the second recording medium receiving unit is placed in the slot concealing position, and the second recording medium being enabled to be loaded or unloaded thereinto or therefrom, when the second recording medium receiving unit is placed in the slot exposing position. 